Life like the Stock Market

        Here is another mental depiction of the Christian life. Picture the chart of the stock market in a bull year. The daily prices fluctuate, but the overall trend is up all the way until a peak is reached. The daily life of the Christian also has it ups and downs, but overall everything that happens brings him closer to God as time moves on. The peak indicates the end of his life on earth and the stock gains could represent the merits he has earned for the Lord.         

*Faith Boundless

        In today's Gospel reading at Mass from Matthew 9, two blind men believed that Jesus could make them see. Jesus touched their eyes and said, "Let it be done for you according to your faith." And their eyes were opened. Yes, faith can work miracles, but another aspect I see is that faith can be boundless ~ namely, you can trust in God as much as you want and still trust in him some more ~ this is the exciting part! And I believe that the greater the faith, the greater the wonder you will see. It is the infinite power and mercy of God that allows you to have as great a faith as you wish. Very beautiful!    

Ultimate Rejoicing

        We need God for myriad reasons. One of them came to me this morning at Mass: We need God for us to rejoice in! It is true that there are numerous things we can rejoice in, but none can compare to God, for none but God alone can give us meaning of life, true hope, inner security, joy of heaven . . . all the things we need the most. If you don't rejoice in God yet, you do not know Jesus yet.  

Our Decision

        "In the final analysis, it is between you and God." This famous verse comes from the poem "Do It Anyway" written on the wall of Mother Teresa's home for children in Calcutta. What it says is true because our destiny is entirely determined by how we and God are getting along. Since God always wants to get along with us (he even died for us), we can condense this verse to: "In the final analysis, it is up to you alone." To accept or not to accept God's offer of salvation ~ that is our decision. 

To Be Rid of Ego

        All I know is that ego is difficult to get rid of. Before I knew the Lord well, I sensed my ego and considered that to be an inherent part of every human being and never thought of chucking it. But ego did cause a lot of grief at times. As a Christian, I began to realize that with ego, it would be impossible to acquire humility. Later, I clearly saw ego to be the biggest obstacle in our way if we ever want to attain union with God. Then the Lord showed me that he could annihilate the ego without sweat. If you ask me if you can possibly dump your ego without any help from God, my best guess is that it would be a heck of a struggle and still fighting a losing battle.          

People Don't Change

        In Luke 16.10, Jesus commented on his own parable, "The person who is trustworthy in very small matters is also trustworthy in great ones; and the person who is dishonest in very small matters is also dishonest in great ones." After watching others in real life, I can correctly say that the person who is not satisfied with what he has now will not be satisfied with whatever he'll have in life; and the person who complains about his situation now will complain about any situation he'll be in later. The good news is that God is always around, ready to change us for the better, when he gets the green light from us.

Creating Joy

        Communion experience. My heart heard Jesus say "Let everything you endure for my sake be a joy!"

Action Necessary

        In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 7 at Mass, Jesus said to his disciples clearly that not everyone who says "Lord, Lord" would enter the kingdom of heaven and that everyone who listens to his words must act on them ~ here is a command! In other words, talk and listen with no action is not acceptable to the Lord. And we can see that he is right. 

Why Leave the Church?

        If the Catholic life is so exciting, then why have many Catholics left the Church? Some left because they never knew or understood their faith ~ I suppose that's a valid reason. Others left, often because some fellow parishioner or the priest offended them, or a scandal within the Church shocked them. Anyhow, we are all sinners to various degrees. But there are also great saints within the Church throughout history and today. So my question is: Why do you let the bad examples affect you so much and ignore the good ones? Know that Christ is in the Church! In fact, the Church is the mystical body of Christ, so leaving her is to cease being part of his body. (1 Corinthians 12.27.)

Why Is Catholic Life Exciting?

         The list of things that make the Catholic life exciting is long. Here are nine of them worthy to mention.

          (1) The Catholic belongs to the Church which Jesus had built upon St. Peter.

          (2) Jesus is the Son of God who came down from heaven to become one of us on earth.

          (3) He is the greatest miracle and the greatest revelation God has given us.

       (4) Through the seven sacraments of the Church, the Catholic receives all the grace he needs.
        (5) The Holy Eucharist is the most precious sacrament of all; receiving it is  truly receiving the body and blood of Christ.

         (6) Through receiving the Holy Eucharist and surrender to God, union with God is attained

         (7) Union with the Lord transforms one into a holy person whom sin can no longer imprison.
        (8) Inner peace, freedom from attachment to the world, and joy in the Holy Spirit can all be experienced.   

        (9) There is so much to learn from so many greats saints who have left us with their teachings and inspirational spirituality.  

Taking Away Sins

        Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. He takes away our sins by not just forgiving them when we repent, but also removing our tendency or desire to sin after we attain union with him.

Fear of Sin

        Recently, I posted that fear of God can be healthy or unhealthy, but fear of sin is always healthy! Shall I say that we should even respect sin, for its consequence can totally destroy us? Anyway, love God with all your heart and sin becomes inconsequential.  

All Up to Us

        God loves us all. How open we are to him determines how close we can get to him. Two people are called to receive the Holy Eucharist, yet one becomes a saint and the other remains a sinner. It's all up to us to leave all up to God or not.

A Wake-Up Reminder

        The bigger the ego, the harder it is for us to notice. This is sad, not strange. So often we do not see that we are the ones blocking God from accomplishing his will through us.

To Be Light of the World

        Know Christ so well that following God's will becomes second nature to you, then you'll be seen as the light of the world. 

On Stephen Hawking

         In the news today: Professor Stephen Hawking has told the BBC that artificial intelligence could spell the end for the human race. He only sees the possible extinction of the human race on Earth. With or without AI, we will all die anyway! Being an atheist, Hawking naturally does not understand that our soul can never be extinguished and it is sin that could spell the end of the human race if you see the end as being separated from God for all eternity.     

           A footnote. How miserable life would be if we simply do scientific research and development and come up with things that can end our existence on Earth, and become absolutely nothing after we die. I suppose you could say that if we are nothing, then nothing should matter anymore ~ but that doesn't make life any more meaningful.  

How God's Plan Unfolds

        When God calls us to do something, there is a reason. We may not understand it, but it becomes clear later. The Lord sees far ahead; we don't. Despite obstacles, setbacks, unforeseen developments, God's plan unfolds ~ things we don't know or did not expect are revealed, charting a new course for us. The Lord always aims for the greater good, for we are all his children. 

Need for Mary

        Mary is the perfect mother Jesus gave us as he hanged on the cross (John 19.26-27). We all need a good mother. Due to complicate family circumstances, I did not grow up close to my mother, whom I loved. The Blessed Mother more than filled my void. Even if you have a good mother on earth, having one in heaven can help you walk faithfully after her Son. She is the perfect helpmate for us to do God's will. 

Private Banquet

        Today's Communion experience. Receiving the Holy Eucharist was attending a private banquet with the Lord alone. Here I received the body and blood of the one who died for me ~ what a special intimate union!

Knowing with Certainty

       In all sciences, to prove a theory scientists perform experiments and make observations. If the results substantiate the theory, then it is believed to be correct, but never with complete certainty. When you believe in God, how would you know that he is true? All I can say that once you put your faith in him and discover how beautiful he is, you will know without a doubt that he is the greatest truth.

Going with God

        Do you ever see it this way? That is, all things that happen to you and around you are urging you to turn to God and put your trust in him! The moment you feel the nudge, do not turn away, for God the Father wants you to live happily now and happier than ever with him in paradise later.

Purity of Heart

        God loves the pure of heart. Purity of heart means no evil thoughts whatsoever. This is made possible only by letting the love of God completely fill your heart. And you also receive the fringe benefit of feeling great peace and joy.

To Be Ready for the Lord's Coming

        Today is First Sunday of Advent. In the Gospel reading from Mark 13, Jesus told his disciples to be watchful and be alert, for we do not know when the Lord will be coming. What better way is there to be ready for the Second Coming than attaining union with God here and now? Ans. None.

Better Early than Late

        When you are young or in good physical condition, you don't think about death at all. Likewise, when you have plenty of wealth, you would hardly think about leaving this world. As a much older person, but still not frail yet, I already see myself as a flickering candle flame that can go out any time. My advice: Don't let youth, good physical condition, wealth, or anything else in this world make you forget that you are going to die and face God one day, maybe sooner than you'd expect, so that you may start preparing for it now.

Know the Process

        Salvation can only come from God, while condemnation is initiated by us. As sinners, we have no power to save ourselves ~ only the Holy One, our creator who is Love, has that power. If we reject his offer of salvation, we go against his will, thus initiating our own condemnation.

Overriding Self-Love

        Early today, I felt the need to be understood by someone, then these lines from the hymn "Make Me a Channel of Your Peace" floated into my mind: 

     
         Oh, Master grant that I may never seek

         So much to be consoled as to console 

         To be understood as to understand

         To be loved as to love with all my soul.

And I felt great calm. Love for God should always override self-love. Otherwise, your ego is still too big.

God Can Change You

        God can absolutely transform you into a new creature because (1) he is your creator, knowing everything about you, (2) he is holy, perfect, and infinite in power, and (3) he loves you. If you want him to liberate you, all you need to do are (1) believing the above and (2) asking him to do it. And it will be done because it is his will.

To Love like God

        Today is Thanksgiving Day. After receiving Holy Communion at Mass, I heard Jesus telling me never to wish ill of anyone even if the person is completely at fault. This is the mind of the Lord when he wants us to always forgive, not judge, and love even our enemies. If we want God to dwell in our hearts comfortably, we must have nothing but love in our hearts. Be like him is his wish and our calling. Happy Thanksgiving to all!

*You Hear It or You Don't

        There are God's voice, voices from others, and our own. Since we either reject what we hear from others or absorb what they say so that it becomes part of our own voice, we only need to consider God's voice and our own. Naturally, our own voice being closest to us can most easily influence us. Therefore, when God speaks to us, we need to listen and listen to make sure that our own voice does not smother his. If it did, we would not experience complete peace ~ this is the test. [The Lord made me see this during prayer after Mass this morning and I am most grateful for this grace.] 

Satisfied and Fulfilled

        Communion experience. After receiving Holy Communion, I was so satisfied and fulfilled that I wouldn't trade that feeling for all the happiness and fun I've enjoyed in the world. 

No Peace Today

        At Mass this morning, both the first reading, Revelation 15.1-4, and the Gospel, Luke 21.12-19, prophesied battles fought for and against God. Jesus himself told his disciples that he would be a cause of division (Matthew 10, Luke 12). Let's recognize that the spiritual war being fought for our souls, now fiercer than ever, is still going on today. Forgetting this fact will put our soul in great jeopardy.   

Letting God In!

        Reminiscing a bit, I recall my early days when I did not know the Lord that well yet. Nominally, I was already a Christian, but in reality still my own god. I pretty much decided on doing everything without consulting God. Should I go to the party this weekend? No. The new model of this car looks so good ~ I definitely want to check it out! I just did what I wanted to do. I was holding onto myself tight, far and far from abandoning myself to God. And I didn't have much peace. In fact, I felt miserable every time I didn't get to do what I wanted to do. My heart was always agitated, unsettled. Not anymore! All I can say is that God does amazing things if you give him the freedom to do what he wants with you. 

Bread of Heaven

        Communion experience. Unlike ordinary food which can delight the palate and provide nutrition to the body momentarily, the bread of heaven can heal the soul, make you holy, and link you directly to heaven permanently. It is absolutely something we all need. For me, the Holy Eucharist is also the physical confirmation of what Jesus said in Matthew 28.20: Behold, I am with us always, until the end of the age.    

Injustice and Violence

        Ferguson, Missouri, is in the news again. The grand jury ruling on the Michael Brown case has sparked new protests. Unfortunately, they turn violent with protesters setting fire to shops and businesses and attacking police vehicles. The ruling may be unfair, but what's sad and wrong is that in trying to eradicate injustice, the protesters have done injustice to the innocent owners of the burnt shops and businesses. Violence and peace are mutually exclusive. Alone, violence will never solve our problems. 

Clear Choices

        Today's Gospel acclamation from Revelation 2.10 at Mass: Remain faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. It came to me that we are either faithful or unfaithful. This dichotomy continues on . . . we choose either good or evil; we obey or disobey God, we be holy or remain sinful, we are heaven-bound or hell-bound ~ all with no middle ground whatsoever. 

Judging Is...

any or all of the following: measuring others by some standards you have set, not necessarily for yourself; looking down upon others; criticizing someone who has displeased you; feeling no pity for others; condemning them. Viewed broadly, I say that anytime you feel bothered by someone, you have started judging. Judge no one and you'll have peace.

Good Christian

        One who is happy and content does not harbor evil thoughts. He who accepts suffering draws strength from it. The one who forgives his enemies has no enemies. He who does not judge others remains peaceful. A good Christian is that person. 

Good Policy

        Today is the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. The Gospel read from Matthew 25 was on the judgment of the nations. He said to his disciples, "Whatever you did for one of the least brothers of mine, you did for me. What you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me." These are the criteria by which we shall be judged on the Day of Judgment. The good policy for us to adopt to make sure that we'll inherit the kingdom prepared for us is to do everything for the love of Christ. To live for Christ means just that.

Abandonment Test

        When we pray earnestly for the conversion of those we dearly love because we love God, and nothing seems to happen, our heart becomes burdened. At the same time, we know that we should trust in God and not be disturbed. Hereby a conflict is born. What are we to do? Since we are on God's side, we must choose to trust him even more as no worry, anxiety, uneasiness can possibly improve the outcome. One thing is sure: the Lord hears us and knows exactly what he is doing. Our role is to abandon ourselves to him and live by faith in everything.

Letting Joy Rule

        Communion experience today on the memorial of St. Cecilia. The Lord wants my joy in him to dominate my life. 

Special Creatures

        It dawned on me (again) that since we were created in the image of God, we are able to relate ourselves to God ~ a special grace for his special creatures.

No God, No Freedom

        Without God, it's so easy to do what we want to do and fall into sin. That is why we can never be free if we be our own god. The flip side, of course, is that with God, we can become holy and free.

Making All Things Good

        Everything about you or everything that happens to you can be "all good" or "good or bad." I didn't include "all bad" because the living, loving God is always present, offering you hope. As for "Good or bad," it depends entirely upon your point of view. For example, knowing that your have limitations may sadden you a bit, then realizing you just have to rely upon God more now could cheer you up a lot. Romans 8.28 is good to read again: We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.  

High Calling, High Goal

        Today is the Memorial of the Presentation of the Blesses Virgin Mary. Communion experience: God absolutely deserves the best from us ~ we must aim to be perfect.

Before Rushing into Action

        There are times we feel that we should say or do something to correct someone to set a situation right. But before we rush into action, it's wise to ask oneself: (1) Am I doing it just so I could feel good? (2) Am I being objective? (3) Am I emotionally calm? (4) Am I forgiving enough? (5) Will there be finger-pointing? (6) Would it make the person look bad? (7) How would I feel if I were the target of that action in a reversed situation? (8) Most importantly, am I being motivated by pure love?

Change from Within

        Jesus said, "Nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person; but the things that come out from within are what defile" (Mark 7.15). Therefore, true change of one must come from within, and only God can uproot all the evils in the heart.

Fear of God

         Healthy fear: You fully believe in God and love him. You don't want to offend him and do you best to please him by doing his will.

         Unhealthy fear: You faith is weak, know that you don't always do his will, but you are not willing to change yet, so you feel uncomfortable going before God. Or you have left the Church, turned away from God, and feel uncomfortable thinking about submitting yourself to God again. 

Why Desire God?

        Desire God and all your desires will be fulfilled.

On God's Beauty

        We are myopic in the sense that we do not see God's beauty when we stay from afar. The closer we are drawn to him, the more beautiful he appears to us. This beauty becomes overwhelming when we are fully drawn into union with him. Incidentally, God is beautiful because he is holiness and love.  

Living in Peace

        The ego is difficult to eradicate completely. Because of its presence, we are bothered by others for various reasons, we disapprove of them and start judging unknowingly. The solution is to seek refuge in the Lord, letting him be the only one to affect you. This way, you only care about what he thinks of you. It's you and God alone, living in peace. If you can live in peace with God, then nothing in the world shall be able to take that peace away from you.